Man Convicted Of Manslaughter Due To Negligence

A 20-year old man was sentenced in the Northeast District Court to an eight month suspended sentence for striking three young girls with his car, RÚV reports. The tragic accident, which took place in Siglufjörður in November 2011, occurred when the man drove past a school bus which was stopped to let children out and he hit three girls walking behind the bus. One girl was killed almost immediately, a second was severely injured and the third escaped with minor injuries. The man was charged with manslaughter, speeding, driving recklessly and for driving under the influence of marijuana. He was convicted of manslaughter and acquitted on all other counts. In addition to the eight month suspended sentence, he has been ordered to pay 4 million ISK to the parents of the deceased girl, 600,000 ISK to the parents of the severely injured girl, and 200,000 ISK to the parents of the girl with minor injuries.